Reviews by ExaltedNecrosis:

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Into a snifter gifted to me by my lovely girlfriend, Curmudgeon pours a cloudy, amber-orange with a medium khaki, one-finger head which retains nicely. I could have decanted this a bit better, as many little yeasties are floating about in the beer. The carbonation appears low and slow and the lacing is attractive, with hilltops and dots.

The smell is very malt-forward with aromas of caramel, brown sugar, and cinnamon, which all meld together well. When swirled aggressively, the woodnotes of the oak aging are very evident, along with a slightly peppery aroma. The more I inhale, the bigger the cinnamon contribution is. Founders website says that this is brewed with molasses- I can smell a little of that, as well.

The taste is somewhat spicier and woodier than I thought it would be, with a very earthy undertone on my tongue. Those flavors couple with a heavy malt presence of caramel and brown sugar, with some cinnamon spice taste in addition. The molasses adds a molasses cookie taste. The finish is nicely dry from the oak and bittering hops and just a little alcoholic heat soaks into my tongue at the end of the sip.

The mouthfeel is silky, creamy, and buttery on the tongue, but with a fine balancing nip on the sides from the oak- aging, hops, and alcohol. The finish is fairly clean for such a syrupy beast. I think the mouthfeel is the highlight of the beer.

I like this crotchety old fella and will have it again, but I've also had other Old Ales that I like a bit better. It is definitely not sessionable, but makes for a good sipper. This is another fine offering from Founders, but certainly not their best.

A - Pours to a murky dark copper orange. Forms a quickly dissipating half finger of off white soapy head. S - Malts malts and more malts. No hop profile to this beer whatsoever. Has milk stout qualities in the aroma. Once allowed to warm up a bit, more oak and molasses notes shine through in the aroma. T - Once again, a ton of malts and no hops. Has a sweet boozey flavor with a little bitter oak in the back to round off the sweetness. Molasses is a bit faint but present. Beer is simple and rounded, malty sweetness with oak bitterness at the end. Extremely smooth and deceptively sessionable. O - A quite good beer, not amazing, but very good. Definitely worth a try. V - Medium value, standard 4 pack Founder's pricing.

Poured into a nonic a clear rich auburn color with a thinner but well sustained white head.Alcohol dipped fruit and vanilla stand out most in the nose with a hint of brown sugar,its warming at malt driven.Mouthfeel is a little sticky and a little thinner than expected,flavors are sweet up front with some cherry-like fruitiness and vanilla and the alcohol gives a little burn,there is a racey drying hop finish with is nice and balanced.A sipping brew, a nice warmer on a day like yesterday.

Appearance  This is a shiny almost glazy kind of brown in color with a beautiful brown head.

Smell  The big, huge, boozy coconut and stiff oaky barrel must have left stains on the inside of my nose. The malts were broken down well so the wood and fruit really opened up nicely. It is such a unique aroma and nothing like anything else I have ever smelled.

Taste  The sharp oaky coconut from the smell was just as potent at the taste. It is an amazingly smooth liqueresque flavor with a light, dusty taste.

Mouthfeel  This is thinner than medium-bodied but bigger than light. It is incredibly smooth with no stinging sensation whatsoever from the big alcohol.

Drinkability  This went down about as well as a high-ABV beer can.

Comments  Thanks to my good friend and temporary landlord skyhand for putting me up for a few nights while I was in town and feeding me this exceptional dessert.

On tap at The Oak Cafe. Pours a dense copper color with a small-ish, off-white head that leaves a bit of lacing at first but fades away about halfway through the glass. The smell is rather basic and just a tad plain, full of malts, caramels, and roasted toffee. The taste delivers a bit more than the smell would lead on - up front with a nice, malty base, a warm, toasty flavor, heavy oak on the tongue with a slight bourbon taste and burn on the back of the tongue and the sides of the mouth. About halfway through the sip, some intense sweetness arrives, in the form of tart apple, grapes, and ripe raisins. All the while, some subtle cinnamon spices are dangling around in the background. The sip ends with a light splash of floral hops and a lasting bitterness that balances out the sweetness as the flavor slowly fades away. Thick and overall pretty smooth body, medium amount of carbonation.

This beer was pretty good. Not much on the nose, but really quite a complex flavor profile ranging from warm to sweet to spicy to bitter. Not something I'd drink more than one of, but definitely worthy of trying.

A: Dark amber with a small off-white head that leaves a ring of lacings.

S: The smell is malty (caramel and fudge) with notes of ripe fruit (grapes, strawberries?) vanilla and spices. It's a rather rich smell. It's good, but something seems off, like it's going downhill or something.

T: A malt-forward beer with a pleasant taste of caramel and toffee. Lots of fruity notes. The taste is sweet but balancing spicy notes level the sweetness. Here's also an interesting note of vanilla. The finish has some nice bitterness to it and notes of wood and malts.

M: Medium body with a rather creamy and slick texture.

D: A decent beer. But Old ales raise my expectations and this one didn't really meet them. There are far better examples of the style.

Pours a dark ruddy brown with light off-white head. A careful pour will leave the yeasties in the bottle which only makes it look nice in a glass.

Aromas are heavy and sweet with aromas of dark fruit and esters. You get the feeling this is going to be heavy just by the smell.

The flavors are primarily sweet with malt, but not cloying. The malts really don't have to fight anything bitter as they are the star of the show. Very heavy mouthfeel but, again, not cloying. The finish is smooth with a nice warming sensation. Very enjoyable.

As for drinkability, the first glass went down way to easy, and I was well into my second glass when the gravity of this brew sank in. Probably a good idea to sip it, but it's pretty good if you don't too. :-)

12oz bottle pours into my glass a muddy brown with hints of amber shining through as well. A small head rises up and dies to a ring around the top just as quickly. A few particles floating around in there as well. Aromas of sweet bread, caramel and dark fruits meet upfront followed by a big vanilla aroma that is reminiscent of bourbon, although I don't believe this beer was barrel aged. Some sweet spiciness as well. I'm really enjoying the nose on this one, quite deep and complex.

First sip brings a dense sweet malt upfront with flavors of caramel and bread alongside dark fruits with a noticeable cherry. It flows down with a subtle yeasty spiciness and a good shot of vanilla yet again. Brandy and bourbon flavors come to mind with each sip. Finishes slightly sweet. The big, bold flavors in this brew really shine and make for quite an enjoyable drink.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and somewhat viscous with a middle of the road carbonation that suits the beer well. It grabs on nicely while still finishing clean. I really enjoyed this brew and I'm glad I have another bottle. I could see myself indulging in a couple in a sitting for sure and I plan on buying another four pack if I see it available. Founders has impressed me again with this one!